Berwick Law, North Berwick
Here is one that is particularly close to my heart as it not only iconic and a distinctive marker on the East Lothian skyline, but also it is but a stone-throw from my house! I think I must have climbed this hill over a hundred times, and I honestly do not think I could ever get sick of it. There is just something special about the close proximity to the familiar streets and sights of my beautiful home town, but combined with that feeling of peace and serenity that can only be found up on a hillside in the clouds- like you are observing a model village and all of the wheels keep turning, and all of the people keep on with their everyday lives, whilst you survey all of it from above.
There is a large well accessible car park at the foot of the Law which can often get busy at peak times. From here you must climb the half-style and squeeze through a tiny gap in the wall before opening a wee gate and entering the compound of the Law. Follow the stoney path straight ahead, passing some community allotments on your right (making sure to wave at the scarecrow and the painted tyre frog as you pass!). Shortly after this, the path splits, the left fork heading up the hill and the right continuing around the base of the law towards a small visible pond. For today’s adventure to the summit, take the left fork and proceed to climb- there is quite a steep, rocky section here but it is short lived and a where it ends someone has thoughtfully placed a bench so you are able to take a wee rest if you feel the need.
The first steep section
From here the path continues around without much elevation, ignore any makeshift spurs to the left up the hill until you reach a wooden sign labelled ‘summit’, this will be a sharp left and another steep climb, though once again short and relatively straight forward, and then the path zig zags back on itself. You will reach a small brick-built ‘pond’ which my ageing Springador absolutely MUST get in for a bath every time! Climb up past this and then keep to the left to find your first aerial view of North Berwick. There is a bench here, and it really is a beautiful, peaceful spot. Sometimes, if I am short of time I just come this far and it is enough to give me that sense of freedom that comes from being above. From this height, the people are ants, and you can hear faint rumblings from the school playgound and the plaing fields. Its also a wonderful spot to sit and watch the sunset over the sea.
Looking down on the muddy ‘pond’- the path up can be seen on the right
The ‘first view’ bench at sunset
From the viewpoint head back to the main path and you will see you now have a couple of options. To the right, a steep undulating climb will set you on a faster, more direct course to the summit. Take this route if you are in a hurry, but be mindful it is quite steep and there might be a little bit of minor scrambling involved as you get nearer to the top. If instead, you follow the path which winds further round the outside of the hill, you will have some be able to get some fantastic views of the town and the bass rock but you need to keep to the right or you may find yourself precariously close to the steep, impassable slope. From here, you are more-or less choosing your own route up- my advice is to stick to the more well worn/obvious paths and make use of the rocky areas if it has been raining as the grass can quite slippy (I speak from experience!). As you approach the summit of Berwick Law, a random derelict brick military-lookout hut will come into view, and across from it, a small stone ruin that was once a chapel- make your way somewhere between the two- both are easily accessible for a nosy , you used to be able to go inside the hut (its not very exciting!) but COVID or health and safety have since led to it being locked shut. There are signs telling you to keep off the roof as it is easy enough to hop onto and I am sure that the structural integrity is not what it once was, but lets just say I think somewhere along the line there may or may not be a picture of me standing on that roof surveying my kingdom… I do not condone that kind of blatent rule-breaking, for the record!
The view from the hut roof (do not climb on it!)
The old, ruined chapel
The top is tantalisingly close now, all that stands between you and the perfect selfie with our infamous ‘Live the Moment’ (a touching tribute to a local boy who sadly passed away a few years ago from illness) trig point is a brief rocky scramble up to the equally-infamous whale bone arch (there is some info on a notice board about this, and it is quite an interesting wee story), it is actually hard to imagine that this volcanic plug ever existed without this most iconic feature but I assure you that it did. Another short scramble and you can stand on top of the world and (hopefully) drink in those 360 views! It will almost un-doubtably be windy- that’s part of the experience, and if you come when the weather is less forgiving, a Law summit in thick cloud cover is the just eeriest of places to find yourself!
Take some time up there, listen to the skylarks, spot the boats around the Bass Rock, take some pics, and just drink in that feeling of being alive! Pick your route back down roughly retracing your steps- I promise you will get back down a lot quicker than you came up!
NB Law is definitely dog-friendly, but be aware of the heard of Exmoor ponies that wander this area freely, they are clearly very used to people and dogs but please be responsible- us locals are very fond of them! Also, please don’t feed them- I'm sure you know the script. There’s no way to guarantee you will spot them, without covering the whole Law- I have encountered them everywhere from the entrance gate to the very top, but in my experience they can often be found lower down and around the back, so if you don’t encounter them on your summit bid, and you have the time, pop round the back and you might well bump into them there.